The border pillar located in Nangapala Municipality-5 of Solukhumbu district, Nepal, near the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality-5, has been leaning towards the Tibetan side for the past 9 years. Despite the passage of time, concerned authorities have not paid attention to this matter. Additionally, the area around this border pillar has been without Nepali security presence for about 9 years.
According to information provided by Ram Lal Yadav, a prominent local figure, there is only one numbered cemented pillar, number 62 of ARJEE 597098, on the Tibetan side. Yadav and his team visited China in 2071 (May 16, 2014) to procure the pillar, yaks, and yaks’ hooves. Due to the melting of ice caused by the warming Himalayan climate, Yadav explained that the pillar has become slanted.
Basant Bhattarai, the Chief District Officer of Solukhumbu, the main district concerned, confirmed that the leaning of the pillar was due to the river’s influence. He stated, “We have also reported this matter to the Ministry. At the moment, there is no possibility of erecting a post at the border. However, there is no possibility of any danger to Nepal’s security in relation to maintaining the border. We occasionally communicate with the chief of foreign affairs over border security.”
Nepal and Tibet’s Simana Nangapala Naka (border) area has been without the presence of Nepali security for years. There is a Chinese security force stationed near Namche, about 80 kilometers away. According to Yadav, who is the head of the ancestral resource center in Syangboche, the only resource center for yaks of Nepali origin, there is no Nepali presence in the yak region. He mentioned that the yak region is about two kilometers ahead of the Naka and that a motor road is about 15 kilometers ahead of the Naka on the Chinese side. About 20 kilometers ahead lies Thengre Bazaar on the Chinese side. Closest to the Nepal side of the border, about 62 kilometers away from the Naka, is the Thame Police Post.
Lamakaji Sherpa of Namche, who is from Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality-5, mentioned that human settlements are situated above Namche, at an altitude of 5,887 meters above sea level. He noted that the Nepali presence in the region, including Solukhumbu, ceased in 2067 (2010 AD). After 2067, the Chinese shut down the border, making it difficult for Tibetans to enter Nepal. This led them to take refuge in the Solukhumbu area, including Syangboche. This is why the locals attribute the lack of Nepali presence in the region to the border closure by China.
Due to geographical challenges, it is not possible to establish security posts near the border. Basant Bhattarai, the Chief District Officer of Solukhumbu, explained that the region’s difficulty arises from the fact that while the Chinese side is relatively straightforward, the Nepali side is extremely challenging for security posts.
Preparations are underway to hold a meeting of the security teams of both countries in the coming days. In 2071, after three months of efforts by the Yak Ancestral Resource Center, a team of 24 individuals, including yaks and Naka, was sent to China. They brought back 25 yaks and Naka from the same route. Yadav mentioned that despite the difficulties, it was relatively easy to climb before the Naka was closed, and afterward, the path was completely covered in ice.
After the Naka was closed, human movement ceased on the Nepali side of the border, and the road was covered in ice. This information is based on the condition of the path marked by the border pillar. The motor road from the pillar is about two kilometers ahead of the Naka, and the security post on the Chinese side is about 15 kilometers ahead. Thengre Bazaar is about 20 kilometers ahead on the same route. The police post at Thame is located around 62 kilometers away from the Naka, the closest post to the Nepali side of the border.
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